Meaningful Moments
by fuzzyalligator
Summary: Meaningful moments throughout Remus Lupin's life. Starting from when he was bitten by Greyback until his death in the Battle of Hogwarts. There will be slash in this story but will be as canon as possible.
1. First Bite

A/N: As mentioned in the summary, there will be SLASH! So, if you don't like, don't read.

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it that probably means it doesn't belong to me. I'm just a poor writer having fun with someone else's characters

**oO0Oo**

_First Bite_

**oO0Oo**

Remus slowly opened his eyes but instantly closed them again when the bright light hurt. His tiny hand covered his eyes as a few of his other senses took in his surroundings.

The sheets of the bed he was lying on were slightly rough to the touch but were comfortably warm. Remus imagined they had a heating charm on them because the rest of the room was a little on the cold side.

Besides being chilly, the room Remus was currently in was almost silent; almost as if it was late at night. He wasn't sure how big the space was, but it had to be rather large for the few quiet voices to echo like that. That's when Remus realized something really odd. If the room was big enough for voices to echo, why could he hear them almost perfectly?

He tried opening his eyes again but the light still hurt, albeit a little less now. On the other hand, before he closed them again, he did see something. The bed was surrounded by white curtains and he could only think of one place that had those.

St. Mungo's.

"Mummy?" the small child called out in a frightened tone. With his eyes squeezed shut he sat up and started to get out of the bed. He could hear people hurrying over to him but he didn't want to be here so he didn't wait. "Mummy!"

"Remus," his mom said as he felt her arms wrap around him and lift him back into the bed. "It's okay, mummy's here."

Remus clung to his mother with all of his strength, glad to have her close by. While the two embraced, Remus heard someone say to darken the room. Even when he was reassured that the lights wouldn't hurt him anymore, the only thing that got Remus to open his eyes was the firm grip on his shoulder and his dad's calming voice.

"It's alright, Remus," his dad said and Remus slowly opened his eyes again. Aside from his parents sitting on the bed with him, there were a few Healers standing around. The majority of them were looking at the family in sympathy but Remus saw a few of them giving him dirty looks.

"Can you give us a moment?" his father asked the Healers and his request was granted except for one person. "_We'll_ tell him."

"Of course," the Healer said and walked off somewhere, but Remus knew hadn't actually gone too far. He could still hear him nearby.

Remus was moved so he was lying back down on the bed but now his mom was sitting beside him. Her arm was wrapped around his shoulders and he leaned into heavily. His dad was holding his hand and that was the first time Remus noticed that his arm was bandaged.

"What happened?" the 5 year old asked as he gently rubbed it. It had to be something really bad if the Healers couldn't heal him. His mom had told him that Healers could fix almost anything when Daddy had fallen out of a tree during the summer and had broken his leg.

His parents exchanged looks and his dad moved closer to him on the bed. "What do you remember?" he asked softly.

"What-" he started to ask but his dad just gave him a look that said not to ask questions. Remus nodded once and closed his eyes as he tried to remember and told the story to his dad.

_It was a nice summer evening. The crickets must have thought so, too, because they were being extra noisy that night. But, even though it was nice out, Remus had been sent to bed early without a good reason. All his mummy had told him was that he wasn't in trouble and that she needed to talk with his daddy._

_Remus willingly went up because his dad was acting funny and had even yelled at him. Although, he did apologize almost instantly and pulled his son into his strong, comforting arms._

_While he couldn't hear what they were saying, Remus could hear his parents arguing about something. Even though he was so young, he knew that something was wrong and that his parents would fix it._

_But even with that in mind, he couldn't sleep._

_So, his window was open and he was listening to the crickets chirping under the full moon. For as long as he could remember, he loved watching the small animals in his back yard when there was a full moon. It always made it easier to see them and, somehow, made him feel safe._

_He'd only been watching the backyard for bit when he noticed that the animals were running away or hiding. Remus pulled himself up a little to see more of his backyard and that's when he saw the bushes moving near the forest and heard a pitiful whine._

_Maybe it was a hurt animal. Remus didn't like it when animals were hurt so he snuck down to see if he could help it. He knew he had to be quiet because his mummy hated it when he brought hurt animals into the house and she wouldn't be happy if she caught him sneaking out after his bed time._

_So Remus moved slowly and quietly through the house and into the backyard. The bush wasn't moving anymore but the small boy continued forward. It was eerily quiet around him, but Remus knew he needed to find the animal and help it._

_Just as he got closer to the bush, he heard a loud growl behind him and then pain in his arm. There was so much pain. He called out for him mummy and then…nothing…_

His mother was crying now and holding him close while his father was pacing. That was the only sound for a few minutes until Remus' dad finally told his own story to his family.

Apparently the thing that had bitten Remus wasn't a dog but a werewolf. The reason why they knew that was because the creature had been caught by his dad somehow and was now locked up somewhere.

The reason why the werewolf had been so close to their house was because it wanted to hurt Remus' daddy but it had gotten him instead. Earlier that week, his father had run into someone named Greyback and had insulted him. The affronted man had threatened his father and that's what his parents had been fighting about that night.

"We're going to fix this," his daddy promised, kneeling by the bed and taking his son's hand in his. "Your mum and me, we're going to fix this."

"Mr. Lupin?" The Healer from before had returned but his father didn't look at him. "I need to explain to your son about-"

Suddenly, his dad stood and kissed his son's forehead before telling his family, "I'll be at home." Without looking at anyone, his walked out of the room, presumably to Apparate home.

For the next half hour, the Healer explained everything Remus was going to need to know about being a werewolf. His mother had said that he still needed time to understand what had happened but the Healer countered with he needed to know what his life was going to be like. That had silenced her quickly.

During the entire explanation his mother never left his side and held him close whenever she felt he was getting scared. But, being the child that he was, Remus listened to the Healer intently and tried to keep the fear away. He needed to be brave for his mummy and daddy.


	2. A Hogwarts Letter?

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it that probably means it doesn't belong to me. I'm just a poor writer having fun with someone else's characters

**oO0Oo**

_A Hogwarts Letter?_

**oO0Oo**

"What do you want for your birthday breakfast?" Remus' mother asked when he entered their small kitchen.

Remus covered his mouth as he yawned before sitting on the stool at the table. Because it was his birthday, his mother had gotten up early to start making the cake and any other treat she knew he'd want. It had been like this for as long as he could remember and he knew why.

"Pancakes?" he asked with sheepish smile when he realized he hadn't answered his mother yet. "With…strawberries and lots of apple butter?"

His mother made a disgusted face, but Remus knew she was only joking. After all, he got his love for weird food combinations from her. "I suppose, since it's your 11th birthday," she said with a wink and went about making breakfast.

It wasn't long before Remus' father came out from the living room with his hands behind his back. "We agreed no presents before breakfast!" his mother chastised but didn't fight it when Remus jumped up from the table. "Oh, for goodness sake…"

Remus waited patiently in front of his father until he pulled the present from behind his back. It was obviously a book but the young boy was still excited. He tore off the paper and stared down at the title. "_The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,_" he said in awe then slowly opened the cover.

"Happy birthday, Remus," his father said before kissing the top of his head even though he knew his song hated it. But, he was too busy reading the first page to even notice; his father had to practically steer him back to the table.

Remus was so engrossed in his gift that it startled him when his mother set the plate full of pancakes down in front of him. "No reading at the breakfast table," she said but with a fond smile and Remus put the book away.

All throughout breakfast, Remus caught both his parents looking at the kitchen windows; more specifically, the window where the mail was delivered. He knew what they were waiting for and he instantly felt guilty that they were getting their hopes up for nothing. But, he kept on smiling as they ate and talked about what they were going to do that day.

Although it was technically a school day, both his parents had told him that he could do whatever he wanted. Since it was only the beginning of March, there was still some snow outside and that's what Remus wanted to spend his day doing: playing outside with his parents while they were both there.

By the time they were done eating, Remus had forgotten about the mail until there was a soft tapping coming from the window. Everyone stopped what they were doing and just stared for a moment.

It was an owl.

Even though he knew he should have known better, Remus couldn't help but get his hopes up. The owl just outside the window wasn't theirs nor was it one he recognized. Remus' father was the first to move.

Remus watched his father as his mother walked over to him. She clutched at his shoulder a little too tightly but he wasn't aware of it. The two of them watched as is father opened the window and the owl flew inside.

It must have been in a hurry because it glided over to the table, dropped the letter it had been carrying, and left without payment or a treat.

The letter had landed on its face so no one could see who it was addressed too. With his mother still clutching his shoulder, Remus reached toward the envelope and read the recipient's name; it was for him.

With his heart pounding loudly in his ears, Remus turned it over and almost ripped it in half in his haste. Inside the envelope was a single letter from-

"Happy birthday, Remus," the young boy read and it felt like his heart had stopped. "I'll be coming over later this afternoon with your present. Love, grandma Lupin."

He looked up at his dad with a sad smile and shrugged, trying to not cry because he _knew_ that he wouldn't be getting into Hogwarts. Not with what he was. But when his mother wrapped him in her arms, he couldn't help the tears that fell.

**oO0Oo**

The rest of the morning was spent outside, playing in the snow, just like Remus had wanted. Neither of his parents had said anything about Remus not getting his Hogwarts letter, which he was grateful for.

If the early afternoon, his mother decided it was time to eat some lunch and after they ate, his parents let him read his book again – after dinner is when he'd get to open his other gifts with his grandmother there. Remus had just settled in by the small fireplace when there was a knock from the front door.

"Can you get that, Remus?" his father called from his bedroom. "Don't keep your grandmother waiting!"

With a small sigh, Remus closed his book and hurried over to the door. But the person standing there wasn't his short, elderly grandmother. Instead it was a tall, thin man with a long beard and wearing crimson red wizard robes. "Remus Lupin?" he asked with a gentle smile.

Remus could only nod in return and stepped aside when he heard his father coming up behind him. "Don't make her stand outsi-" he started to say but stopped when he saw who it was. "Professor Dumbledore?"

The old man nodded, smiling a little bigger. "Hello, Benjamin," he greeted and rubbed his hands together as if to warm them. "I believe there is something we need to talk about."

It didn't take long for everyone to get comfortable in the living room. Remus was sitting between his parents on their couch while Dumbledore had taken the spot the young lycanthrope had been earlier.

"I'm sorry that you didn't get your letter this morning, Remus," he started off saying but didn't look apologetic at all. "You see, I wanted to deliver it myself so we could discuss some things."

"What things?" Remus' mother asked, sounding a little stunned which made sense. Due to the fact that she was a Muggle, she had never met Albus Dumbledore, only heard stories of him.

The old wizard looked at the three of them, smiling once again. "About what we shall do about Remus during the full moons," he answered calmly. It was the first time Remus had ever heard something sound like that. They were normally judgmental, scared, or worried, but never _calm_. "But, before we discuss that, let me give you this."

Remus watched as Dumbledore pulled an envelope from within his robes and offered it to him. The young boy stared at it for a moment before taking it. He didn't look at anyone as he slowly opened it and felt his eyes water as he read the letter.

It really _was_ his Hogwarts letter.

He read it a few times before finally looking up. The old man was leaning back in the chair, smiling big. "What House do you think you'll get into?" he asked conversationally.

Remus kept looking at the Headmaster, knowing either one or both his parents were crying from joy. "I've never thought about it," he answered truthfully, a sense of joy and relief washing through him.

"Ravenclaw, of course," his father insisted and Remus pretended to not see him wipe away a tear. "He's bloody brilliant."

Dumbledore kept up the conversation as all three Lupins somehow managed to compose themselves, which took longer than was possibly normal. But…Remus getting his letter meant more to all of them than they could even express.

Once the tears were mostly gone, Remus' parents and Dumbledore discussed possible solutions to his monthly changes and finally agreed on something. There was an abandoned house – called the Shrieking Shack – in Hogsmeade which Remus would use only after Dumbledore had casted the right protection spells. It was already rumored to be haunted so there was no fear on anyone walking in on him during the full moons.

Dumbledore would also create a tunnel so it would be easier for Remus to get to the Shack those nights. To make sure no students went down there, they would have a large and terrifying tree named a Whomping Willow planted over the top.

"What about his roommates?" Remus' father asked, sounding a little nervous. "Won't they notice that he's leaving once a month?"

"I could lie to them?" Remus suggested, already feeling sick at the thought. All his life his parents had told him to tell the truth, it was always better. "I can tell them that I have to come home for some reason."

The Lupins looked at the Headmaster who nodded once, "I'm sure you'll figure something out, Remus. After all, you're bloody brilliant." Remus blushed at hearing his father's words repeated by someone like Dumbledore with such confidence.

Everything seemed to fall into place after that. Remus and his dad would visit the Shrieking Shack a few weeks before school would start in the fall with Dumbledore after everything was ready.

As he got up to leave, Dumbledore asked Remus to walk with him to the door. As they stood there, the tall man pulled something else from his pocket and handed it to Remus. It was a Chocolate Frog, one of his favorites from Honeydukes.

"Thanks, Professor Dumbledore," Remus said, giving the great wizard a small smile. He wasn't just thanking him for the sweet, but for so much more. The Headmaster just winked before Disapparating with a crack.


	3. More Than Just One Surprise

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it that probably means it doesn't belong to me. I'm just a poor writer having fun with someone else's characters.

Sorry about the luggage being in the compartment. I seriously cannot remember if that's canon or not and was a little confused with the information I found.

**oO0Oo**

_More Than Just One Surprise_

**oO0Oo**

Remus had been lucky enough to get to Platform 9 ¾ early enough to find an empty compartment. There were a few other students already on the train but the majority of them were still saying goodbye to their families and greeting their old friends. It would have been nice to spend some more time with his parents but something had come up at the place his father worked and they had to leave early.

Not that Remus really minded, it was also nice having this compartment to himself. While he was extremely excited to actually be going to Hogwarts, he was equally as nervous.

For as long as he could remember he'd always had trouble making friends. It wasn't just because of his condition – although that was a big part. In fact, his mother knew about his little problem that she told him not to worry if he didn't make friends right away.

And the sad thing is, Remus wasn't entirely sure he would even itry/i to make friends. Wouldn't it be safer if he didn't get close to anyone so they didn't notice the small things and his disappearances?

With a sigh, Remus opened up the book he'd brought for the ride and started to read. Maybe he could look boring and no one would want to join him.

He was only a few pages in when he heard the door open. Standing there, looking a little out of breath was a short and slightly pudgy blond boy. "C-can I join you?" he asked, looking at Remus pleadingly.

"Sure," he replied only after a moment's hesitation.

The boy smiled at him in thanks and dragged his trunk into the compartment. When it was obvious he wasn't going to get it up on the railing above, Remus set his book to the side and the two somehow managed to get it up next to Remus'.

"Thanks," his companion said and sat on the seat across from Remus. "For the…um…help and for letting me join you. I was chased out by some fifth years." Remus must have had a horrified look on his face because the other boy quickly continued. "Th-they were Slytherin so it's okay."

Remus mutely nodded and leaned back in his seat. If the older students – regardless of which House they were in – were going to be like that, maybe he should just get off the train now. But, before he could think about that too much, the train began to move.

"I'm Peter, by the way," the blond said, extending his hand. "Peter Pettigrew."

"Remus Lupin," he introduced, shaking the offered hand.

Peter smiled as he rested back in his seat. "Um…what House do you think you'll get Sorted into?" he asked, obviously trying to make conversation.

Remus started, a little shocked that Peter knew he was a first year but figured it must be obvious. "My parents think I'll be in Ravenclaw," he finally said when he realized he'd taken too long to answer. "So, probably there."

"My mum says it'll be Hufflepuff for me," Peter said with a small laugh and Remus realized that the two of them were already comfortable with each other only after a few minutes of talking.

"Why Hufflepuff?" Remus asked, hoping that even if they get Sorted into different Houses they could still remain friends if he continued to talk to him. It would be nice to have at least ione/i friend.

Before Peter could answer, the door opened again and two older, giggling girls entered the compartment, both were wearing Gryffindor ties. They asked to join them and promptly ignored the younger boys when they said yes.

The rest of the ride to Hogwarts was spent with the girls gossiping about something and Remus talking to Peter about their expectations about Hogwarts. Once the train had stopped, all of the students got off the train.

Seeing as they were new and had no idea what to do or where to go, Remus and Peter stuck close together until someone called out to all the first years. It was a large man who introduced himself as Hagrid.

He told all the young students to get into the boats, four for each. Thankfully, Remus saw a boat with only two other students and pointed it out to Peter. One of them was a boy with greasy looking black hair and a rather large nose. He glanced at them before turning back to the castle in in the distance.

The other student was a girl with dark red hair and a friendly smile. "Hi, I'm Lily Evans," she greeted as Remus and Peter joined them. They introduced themselves and learned the boat's other occupant was Severus Snape and that the two had known each other for many years.

Before anything else could be said, the boats started to move magically and Remus held on tightly to the edge. Although it felt like forever to Remus, they reached the shore in due time and everyone got out.

Unlike the boat ride, the next half hour went by quickly for Remus. They were guided into the castle and to a set of large, double doors where they were greeted by a stern looking woman. She introduced herself as Professor McGonagall and told them she was the Head of Gryffindor. She briefly explained the four Houses – most likely for the Muggleborns – then told them what was about to happen.

Because he'd been told stories about his parents' experiences before, Remus didn't really pay attention. He was too busy looking around at the big hallway, the few paintings on the walls, and everything else around him.

For as long as he could remember, Remus had wanted to go to Hogwarts but had always known that it would mostly likely never happen because of his condition. But, thanks to Professor Dumbledore, here he was. He was just so happy.

"You okay?" someone asked beside Remus and when he looked he found a boy with black hair and grey eyes looking at him worriedly. But the expression quickly changed to one of teasing when Remus nodded. "You don't need to cry, it's not ithat/i scary."

Remus blinked in confusion but then realized that he'd been crying out of happiness. Before he could even think about replying, Professor McGonagall opened the doors and everyone walked through and into the Great Hall.

On the other side of the large room was a long table with the professors sitting in their places. In the very middle was Albus Dumbledore and when he caught Remus' eye, gave him a wink.

Once again, time flew by as the other students were Sorted into their respective Houses. The black haired boy from before, who's named was Sirius Black, was Sorted into Gryffindor much to many of the Slytherin students displeasure.

Lily Evans was also Sorted into that House and smiled warmly at Remus as she ran past him. When it was finally his turn, Remus slowly walked up and hesitantly sat upon the stool. For a brief moment he actually thought about begging to go home.

But, as the Sorting Hat was placed upon his head, he knew that being at Hogwarts was the right thing to do. It wasn't even the fact that graduating from Hogwarts could help him in the future (maybe); it was that he wanted to be here and he had every right to be here as any other student.

iA bright mind, I see/i someone said in Remus' head suddenly which almost made him jump. It was the Hat! iNot only bright but also inquisitive, a yearning to learn, and…even a bit of creativity. The obvious choice would be Ravenclaw, don't you agree?/i

Remus nodded his head minutely but also thought his agreement. Like he had told Peter, his parents had always expressed their positivity that he'd be in that House and he'd grown to love it. He couldn't imagine being in any of the others.

iBut you're not only intelligent,/i the Hat continued and Remus could have sworn it was smirking – if hats could even do that. iYou've come to a place where you could not only put yourself in danger but everyone, too. A place where you could be faced with ignorance and discrimination if your secret is ever found out. And yet you've come here to learn. Ah… I know which House you belong./i

Remus sat there for a moment after the Hat called out iGRYFFINDOR!/i sure that it had been wrong. Why would it put him in there? Almost in a daze, he slid off the stool and made his way to the cheering table.

Lily was already sitting there and hugged him in her excitement. As the next student stepped forward to get Sorted, Remus saw Dumbledore looking right at him. The old man lifted a glass and gave him a small nod before returning his attention to the Sorting.

boO0Oo/b

In the end, the first year Gryffindor boys ended up being Sirius Black, Remus, Peter, and another boy named James Potter. Peter was flabbergasted that he'd been Sorted into Gryffindor that he spent the majority of the meal talking with his mouth full of food, much to the disgust of their fellow first years.

James and Sirius talked to each other mostly, seemingly happy to have been Sorted into the same House and almost ignored their Housemates. But that was fine with Remus; he didn't really need more than Peter as a friend. One was enough.

At the end of the meal, Peter had finally calmed down enough to listen to Remus but the young boy was too exhausted himself. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into his bed and sleep for days.

Apparently Sirius and James had other plans.

As Remus exited the bathroom where he had changed into his pajamas, he found Sirius lounging on Remus' bed with James sitting by his feet. Both grinned at him when they saw him staring.

"I think it's time for a proper introduction," Sirius said, quickly jumping from the bed and walked over to Remus. He extended his hand as he said, "Sirius Black. Heir to the Black family and am so very happy that I'm not a Slytherin like the rest of my mad relatives."

"Uh…Remus Lupin." he replied, not sure what was happening. At dinner it seemed that neither James nor Sirius cared about their Housemates and now they were being so friendly. "Heir to the…uh…Lupin family? And I'm very surprised I've been Sorted into Gryffindor."

"Me, too," Peter said and quickly tried to explain himself when three pairs of eyes looked at him curiously. "I-I mean, I'm surprised I'm here, too. I thought I'd be in Hufflepuff for sure. I don't know why I'm here at all; I'm still waiting for someone to tell me to pack my things and head to the Hufflepuff dorm. And-"

James threw Remus' pillow at Peter and effectively shut the other boy up. "Oi! No need to ramble, Pete," he said with a laugh and stood from the bed. "I'm James Potter and I'm exactly in the House I knew I'd be in."

"That's 'cause you don't belong in the other Houses," Sirius said seriously and Remus thought what was harsh and uncalled for until James glared but with a smirk and pointed his wand at Sirius. Even though they hadn't been to lessons yet, he still successfully lifted Sirius' robes up enough to cover his face in retaliation.

Once Sirius got the garment off, the two boys started to wrestle and Remus managed to make it to his bed before they pulled him into their little fight.

Were these two really who he was going to be living with for the next seven years? How would he survive?


End file.
